The present invention relates to the processing of fruit and the like preparatory to packaging for shipment to distribution networks. More specifically, the present invention relates to a water flume which is useful in transporting measured quantities of fruits from a sorter to a packaging apparatus.
It has heretofore been standard in the food packing industry to utilize a long, shallow water flume to transport fruit, typically single layered in the flume, to a packaging station for packing into boxes. For example, flumes 60 to 80 feet long were used for sizing and transporting apples to a packaging apparatus. Shorter flumes were impractical because of the tendency of the fruit to "stack up" in the flume. Transportation of fruits or vegetables which tend to sink in water, such as pears, tomatoes, pineapples and the like has been difficult in such flumes and has typically required the use of a flotation agent to cause the product to float. Thus, the size of prior flumes and the non-interchangeability of production lines between different types of product have been major disadvantages of the prior art.